The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-15
AN ECoNonY FUNERAL.
Sweet Simplicity of Harm oni5ts' Views
of Death and Heaven.

Sweet Simplicity of I1arrnonists' Views
of Death and Heaven.
From the Philadelphia Press.
ECONOMY, PA, Sept. 1l.-There was
funeral at Economy to-day, and one less of
the virtuous men who hold their own pe-
culiar ideas of worldly, aye, and spiritual
things, is in this rapidly increasing colony.
Often as the Economics, or more properly
the Harmonists, have been written about in
newspapers and magazines, no writer has
given any account of their many quaint
ideas and customs in connection with death
| Nor have they told anything Of the creed
beyond the fact that two of its most dis
| tinctive features are the holding of all
| property in common and the practice of
celibacy. The Harmonists have no fear of
| death. They believe that for all who have
been good and faithful members of the Har-
mony Society eternal happiness is certain.
| They reject the doctrine of everlasting pun
! ishment, and hold that as the purpose of
! nearly all the punishment inflicted by man
! is largely the reformation of the offenders,
so Gods punishment of the wicked is de-
| signed to make them good and fit them for
heaven, where they will ultimately be re-
| ceived.
| Complete submission to the will of their
temporal governor and spiritual leader
they regard as one of the highest and
most imperative forms of Christian duty.
One good old Economic sister told me only
yesterday that a blessing could not fail to
follow implicit obedience to the commands
of Father Heinrich, who for more than
twenty years past has been the absolute
head of the soclety-itS prophet, priest and
king and the dictator of all its rules and reg
ulations.
In Economy, there is well-equipped doc
tors office, supplied with drugs and medi
clnes of all kinds. 1t is visited daily by
physician from the town of Baden, who is
engaged by the year to attend the entire
community. If a Harmonst falls sick
simple home remedies, in the composition of
which many of the old women possess rare
skill, are first tried. Should these fail the
doctor is summoned. His efforts are as
sisted by the united prayers of the whole
society, for though the Harmonists are not
faith-curers, they believe the efficacy of
prayer to be absolutely without limit.
When death ensues word is quickly passed
from house to house that all who desire to
do so may look once more upon the features
of the deceased
MARKED SIMPLICITY
The last farewells taken, the corpse is
wrapped in a winding sheet and placed in
pine coffin. In this, as in all things pertain
tanning to their social usages, the Harmon
lists simply follow the customs that prevailed
temberg, Germany, whence the founders
OF their society emigrated to this country in
1906
Women are not permitted to attend the
funeral services. Only the nine elders, of
whom Jacob Heinrich and Jonathan LEM
are the leaders, and a few of the more init
| mate friends of the deceased assemble at
the house where the body lies. No hearse
with nodding plumes and snowy trappings
conveys dead HarmonistS to their last rest
ing place. Opposed as they are to display
and ostentation in everything, they deem
it most reprehensible in connection with
death. After a few brief remarks by
Father Henrici the coffin is borne out upon
the shoulders of four stalwart men and
placed i'll an ordinary wagon
Ever since the HarmonlstS settled in their
present location they have been accustomed
to bury their dead in their orchard-a large
enclosure of many acres made beautiful bV
exquisitely kept velvety lawns and graceful
peach ana pear trees. A portion of it has
been separated from the rest by neat fence
OF white palngS, within which Father Rapp,
the founder of the society, and his many fol-
lowers who have gone. to join him, calmly
sleep their last sleep.
Within the orchard, few hundred feet
away, there is a terraced mound, some 20
feet in height 1t is believed to be an Indian
burial mound, and the Harmonists have
been often urged to excavate it, but have
always refused, saying that since they would
not wish the last resting place of their loved
ones to be deSecrated, they cannot so violate
the golden rule as to disturb even that of a
savage.
The graves of the Harmonists are not
designated by mark of any kind A regis
ter and ground plan of this primitive ceme-
terry are strictly kept, and the aged Har-
monlst who has charge of it can from MEM
ory give the name and point out the grave
of every individual buried there
To this quaint place of intermenU the few
attendants at a Harmonist funeral follow
on foot the wagon that conveys the corpse
AT the newly-nade grave prayer is offered
by Father Heinrich and hymn is sung the
latter being selected from the strange old
hymn book which Father Rapp compiled in
1905 expressly for the society's USE 1t con-
tains some hymns from the old Wurtcm-
berg collection, while the Others are of
Father Rapp's own composition. After the
hymn the coffin is lowered into the grave.
each person advances and casts down upon
1t few flowers, and the simple ceremonies
are over.
LOOKING FOR THE ADVENT.
Much that seems strange in the faith and
practice of the Harmonists is readily &C
counted for in the fact that ever since the
formation of their society, in 1905, they
have daily expected the visible, personal
second coming of the Redeemer The sun
never rises upon a new day that they do not
expect to see in the heavens the signs of
His glorious advent, and to read therein the
glorious news that the end of the world is
at hand. 1t is their belief that at His
second coming the Saviour will estab-
lish temporal kingdom, and that Mount
Sinai, in Palestine. will be the throne
from which he will Judge the
world. They believe that when that
event takes place it will be the duty of all
Christians to assemble around that throne
and pay him homage. Immediately after
the formation of the society Father Rapp
provided a complete supply of everything
necessary for the journey os himself and ali
his people to the Holy Land, and that sup
ply is still maintained at the present time.
1t is because the Harmonists believe that
some of their number will still be living
when that glorious second coming shall
take place, and because they intend TO then
lay all their possessions at the Redeemers
feet to be employed as He shall think best
that they seem so n1i Iferant whpn o,,ac